Islam and its principles permeated far and wide through the sub-continent"". Explain the statement.
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
The establishment of Islam in the sub-continent can be traced back to 711 when an Arab general named Muhammad Qasim conquered Sind, which later became part of the Caliph’s domain. By the 13th century, the Turks and Afghans established the Delhi Sultanate. This ensured the subsequent formation of Sultanates in the Deccan and other parts of the subcontinent. This reached its epitome with the establishment of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century by Babur. Many consequent regional states emerged in the 18th century. Thus Islam became a recognised religion of the rulers.
But the development of Islam was not restricted to the ruling elites. The principles and practices of Islam had permeated far and wide, through the subcontinent and amongst different social classes of people. It included every social group like the peasants, artisans, warriors and merchants.
All the groups who embraced Islam accepted the five pillars of the faith - there is one God, the Allah and Prophet Muhammad as his messenger (shahada), offering prayers five times a day (namaz/salat), giving alms and charities (zakat), fasting during the month of Ramzan (sawm) and performing the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). But all these common features were overlapped with variety in practices because of the sectarian affiliations and differences like that of Sunni and Shia. The influence of local customs and practices of converts from different social backgrounds has also influenced the spread of Islam.
They also easily adapted to the local environment and adopted features of Indian devotional traditions. Arab Muslim traders who settled along the Malabar Coast in Kerala embraced the local language, Malayalam. They also accepted local customs and traditions of matriliny and matrilocal residence. It is the practice in which women after marriage remain in their birth home with their children and the husbands may come to stay with them. The combination of Islam with local traditions is best depicted in the architecture style of mosques. There have been many local influences in the architecture of mosques particularly in its roofs and building materials along with its universal features such as their positioning towards Mecca, the location of the mihrab (prayer niche) and the minbar (pulpit). Thus the principles and practices of Islam have penetrated throughout the sub-continent.